


Will keep you safe for all my life, will have my heart for all the time

by Maicaly



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Parents, Child Neglect, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Kid Peter Parker, Not Richard Parker Friendly, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark, Toddler Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27028594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maicaly/pseuds/Maicaly
Summary: Tony Stark is a lot of things, but a father-figure isn't one of them. He loves parties, women and being alone in his lab; and a three year old kid isn't part of it. But when Peter Benjamin Parker turns into his tiny shadow and glues to his side like a baby duckling, there isn't much he can do about it; only accept the new feelings that are bloosoming on his heart, and understand that the tiny kid was the piece he was missing.orThe journey of a lonely-hurt man and a neglected-abused kid as they navigates through a new found family.
Relationships: Mary Parker & Peter Parker & Richard Parker, Mary Parker/Richard Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 44
Kudos: 262





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new fic! This will have a few parts, I haven't decided yet but I've put four of them as a orientative number. I'll update once or twice a week. Let me know what you think, please!

Tony can still feel Pepper’s eyes on his back, digging holes into his skull and probably imagining him laying in a ditch in the middle of the road. He doesn’t blame her, though; even if it’s the first time he has made it through a whole day of meetings and important documents, he hasn’t been on his best behaviour. According to her, moving the chair of the electrical company’s boss so that he falls to the ground when he tries to sit, it’s not professional. Neither is repeating everything the Osborn’s company represent says in a mocking, low voice. Worst of it is falling asleep in his own conference about how they should invest int SI.

If a sudden heel flows through the air and knocks him out, he would thank her for two reasons. One, it’s better than the silent treatment that she has been giving him until she took the elevator to the third floor and he stayed in the first one. Second, it would make him pass out; and he is willing to take it if it means falling asleep.

His body is screaming at him to lay down wherever and close his eyes, and for once he’s almost willing to listen to him. But his mind is a different story. He can count with one hand how many hours he sleeps at night, hence the excessive coffee and small naps through the meetings. Nightmares, PTSD and horrific memories plague the dark every night, that make him go back to the lab and leave the bed for another time. Tony knows he needs to see someone; but that means admitting his problems and asking for help, and that’s something he’s not good at. He doesn’t know if it’s because of what his father made him believe or because of an idea of what being a superhero is to him. Either way, he throws the thought out every time it visits him.

The sound of his shoes hitting the floor is the only thing that is heard through the first floor of the SI. There aren’t a lot of things there, and even if during the day is a constant go and come of people, when the nights pokes into the sky it becomes dessert. Not a lot of services are offered there, because Tony likes to have one floor for each one. Second floor for the coding. Third floor for the publicity. Fourth floor for the maintaining of the building. Fifth floor for interns. The first floor only has a small reception, a coffee shop for the employees, a chilling part with expensive and modern sofas, and a cute day-care kindergarten.

Tony hadn’t been too fond of it, because he personally doesn’t like kids. Sure, a good ‘take a photo with me’ or ‘here is a drawing, you’re my favourite superhero’ are things he enjoys. But apart from that, toddler and little kids are all snot and tears, and while he won’t ever be disrespectful to the ones who talk to him, he doesn’t like them too much. The day-care only opens until four, and Tony makes sure to stay out of the way. 

Too busy in his head, he doesn’t notice the short steps that follow him trying to match his speed, not until he feels a small pull at his pant leg. So many things making him paranoid cause the near accident, that has Tony jumping and covering his arm with a gauntlet and the little boy falling on his hands a knees.

He quickly gets up again and cowers away from Tony, who gets to see the chubby face. Even if it’s dark and there are no lights on, the gauntlet light shows him a cute, terrified face staring at him. Tears are leaking through bambi brown eyes, and one hand is stuck on his mouth. The kid has the other up, in an attempt to protect himself from Tony.

“What the fuck?” he can’t catch himself at time and lets the word out. Instead of being surprised or worried, he instantly regrets saying the word in front of the kid. Surely, another reason for Pepper to hate him. “Frick. What the, uh, frick. I didn’t say fuck. Oh, fuc – I mean, frick. Fuck. Oh god. Please don’t repeat me. Don’t tell your mom I said this or Santa isn’t coming this year. You promise? I’ll give you money”

Tony is rambling and the little boy seems lost in his words. He doesn’t seem older than three, but if Tony has to say, the range between six and a new-born is a little confusing. The kid has curly brown hair, that falls on the cutest eyes Tony has ever seen; and he doesn’t usually use that adjective. But the boy in front of him matches the definition of cute. He’s so small that Tony doubts he can make it to his waist on his tip toes, has the most adorable t-shirt with penguins and some trousers that are just tiny. His sneakers have a blue light that Tony knows won’t last long. Beside him, there is a penguin stained backpack with a little crooked beak. 

The man expects someone to come running after the boy for a few seconds, wondering how someone has their kid awake so late. He doesn’t know much; but even he’s tired. 

“Hey kid” he finally kneels to his height, and tries to offer him a small smile. “You scared me for a second”

“M’ sorry” an adorable small voice replies, taking his fingers out. He wipes them on his trousers, and Tony can barely hide the grimace. 

“What’s your name buddy?”

“Peter Benjamin Parker” he says a little louder, and shows Tony three sticky fingers. “I’m three, and I like penguins”

“That’s… really cool” Tony chuckled awkwardly, not knowing if three was considered a baby or a toddler. “I’m Tony”

“My mommy told me not to talk with strangers, but you’re Iron Man” Peter explains, and Tony can see his hand itching to go back to his mouth. “Right?”

“Yeah – yes, I’m Iron Man. Tony Stark” he quickly nods, not wanting the kid to cry. He looks damn close to do so. “And, uh, where is your mommy? I bet she’s looking for you”

“Don’t know” the kid shrugs. “She left me with Miss Jane. And then I got scared cause I didn’t see her and hid in the bathroom. Miss Jane left, but I don’t want to be alone Mister Iron Man Tony”

Tony blinks confused, because he knows Miss Jane. Jane is a young girl that takes care of the kids in the kindergarten until four. She’s all smiles and bright eyes, and the parents are in love with her. She leaves at four, and the kids are here since eight in the morning or even before. So if the kid isn’t lying or making up things, Tony is afraid to count how many hours he has been without his parents. 

Brown eyes stare at him with unshed tears, and Peter moves to pick up the backpack. Something is hanging from it, another penguin Tony notices, and he hugs him close to his chest. For an unknown reason, he feels his own heart ache. It’s currently eleven pm and the kid has been there since early morning. Part of him wants to be angry at the parents, and part of him is worried about them. 

“Uh, what’s your mother’s name?”

“Mommy”

“Sure” Tony give him an awkward smile, and Peter doesn’t bat an eye. Instead, he’s looking curiously at the light from Tony’s arc reactor. If he wants to ask or move, the boy is polite enough to hide it. “And her real name? You know – like yours”

“Daddy calls her luv” Peter answers again, rubbing a fist over his eye.

“Okay, that’s not – JARVIS, mind searching for a Peter Benjamin Parker?”

The AI answer comes in an instant, and a proof of how tired Peter is, is that he doesn’t question the voice from the ceiling. As JARVIS tries to find something, Tony looks around them. There isn’t anyone in the building past the essential workers, those who have night shift and Pepper, who will probably turn into a big ball of smoke and fire if he tells him about Peter. And he isn’t about to let him with anyone. But even if the last possibility he contemplates is to take Peter with him, he knows he can’t leave him there. The boy must be hungry, scared and lonely, and he isn’t that bad of a person. 

For a second, he tries to think what his own father would have done. Probably, if that kid had been him and Howard had forgotten about him – which happened a few times – the man would have screamed at him for getting lost. Any example of how treating that kid that came from his dad was horrible, so he declines them all. Instead, he smiles at Peter and offers him a hand. Can he walk? Do kids that old know how to do so? Peter answers it for him, as he stands up on his feet and walk closer.

Now that he’s close and Tony can look at him better, his heart clench even harder. First, the kid looks like he hasn’t had someone taking care of him for the last two months. There is dirt under his fingernails, the cute penguin tee is stained and has a few holes, and the cute tiny trousers have to be pulled up by Peter when he gets up. In general, Tony is tempted to think that he has come from the street. 

“I bet you’re hungry” he whispers, not saying anything about how he looks like he hasn’t eaten in a few days. “I have a really cool kitchen in the tenth floor, that’s where I live. You want to eat something?”

“Mommy doesn’t let me eat unless I’ve been really good” the boy says as if words didn’t mean anything, although they make Tony’s breath hitch. “But I don’t know if I have been good. I haven’t – I haven’t cried a lot. Just a little in the bathroom, and really quiet.”

If anything, it leaves Tony speechless.

Peter doesn’t seem to have a problem with what he’s saying. Tony knows he’s lying, though; his eyes are swollen and red, and the hem of his t-shirt is soaked. He can guess having his hand on his mouth isn’t on the ‘behaving good’ side, because Peter is restraining himself from doing so. The worst part is that this kid has just confessed that his mother doesn’t let him eat. Not even Howard, who threw Tony’s project to the bin and called him stupid and weak for getting bullied, would have done something like that. Can he hate someone without meeting them? The answer is obvious. Tony can’t think of a reason to leave a three years old kid without food.

“Crying isn’t – you can cry if you feel sad, kid” Tony tries to explain, even if it isn’t his place. “All of us have to cry”

“But I can cry just a little” to emphasize, he shows Tony two fingers with little space between them. “Because I don’t like when my tummy hurts at night. I get sad and I cry more, so daddy gets more angry”

“And what happens if he gets angry?” Tony knows he shouldn’t ask, that it isn’t his place to do so. But he can’t resist. 

“He makes me sleep in the closet” Peter shrugs, looking down to his feet. “I don’ like it there, cause it’s really dark and cold”

“Sir, if I may” JARVIS voice interrupts, and Tony has never been more glad to hear him. “It seems that his parents are Mary and Richard Parker. None of them work here, and this is the first day young Peter has been left on the daycare. Miss Jane tried to contact you on the matter this morning, since the daycare is only for kids of SI’s employees. But they left after leaving Peter in the door and you were in a meeting”

Indeed, the daycare is only for those parents who have to work for Tony and don’t have anyone to leave their kids to. It’s free, has a really big backyard to play, and Tony only hires the best caretakes. And that something like that has happened under his watch makes his blood boil. He can almost see Peter in between all the people who rush past the door in the mornings, waiting alone until Jane noticed him. 

Something warm and fuzzy runs to his chest the next second, and he raises a hand to touch Peter’s hair. It’s something that he doesn’t do; Tony Stark doesn’t like to be handed things, neither to initiate the contact. But there is a kid who has been abandoned by his parents, who by the looks of it has been mistreated by them, and that was alone until Tony has found him; just by pure luck. Before he can touch him though, Peter is cowering away with a terrified look on his face. His eyes go wide and he lets go of the backpack and the penguin. 

“No” Tony quickly says, recognizing the look. “No, no. Peter, no. I’m not gonna hurt you. I don’t – I wouldn’t hit you, kid. Promise. I just wanted… I’m sorry. I’m not gonna hit you. Uh, JARVIS?”

“Yes sir?”

“Where are his parents right now?” he asks. He’s sure that he isn’t going to let Peter go back to them, at least not until everything is explained. Tony returns his hand back to his side, leaning back again on his knees that are already sore. Peter seems to grow calmer, and he quickly rises his fists to his eyes; the man doesn’t miss the tears though. 

“Mr and Mrs Parker seems to be in Ohio, currently moving at 90 km/h through the national road to Indiana. Would you like me to send an alert to the local police?”

“What’s a o-aio?” Peter asks, as he takes the border of his tee and starts playing with it. “Mister Iron Man Tony, what’s a o-aio?” 

“Just – don’t let them leave the state, Jar” Tony sighs, not knowing how he’s supposed to explain to a kid how his parents had abandoned him. “Tell the police they’ll receive a call in the morning, and good remuneration as long as they stay locked”

“Sure thing, boss”

Finally, Tony gives his knees a rest and gets up. They scream in protest, making some crunching noise that has Peter looking at them with wide eyes. Once both of them are standing, Tony can see how small the kid is. He doesn’t even reach Tony’s waist, and when he steps closer, he’s as thin as one of his legs and a half. Honestly, he looks like a bean. And adorable, tiny bean that is looking at him as if Tony could solve everything. But he can’t. It’s not usual that Tony finds a problem without a solution, or something that he can’t fix. Mentally, he makes a list of the things he knows about the situation.

He found a kid, Peter, who is three and loves penguins. It’s clear that he’s in an abusive household. He’s tiny, short and probably hasn’t washed his clothes for a long week.

His parents are Richard and Mary Parker, who doesn’t work in SI but have left their son that morning in the daycare. Peter has been there until four, and then he has hidden because he got scared, probably making Jane think there wasn’t any other kids around. So she left, and the little kid has been alone since then. Now, his parents were eight hours away and with no intention of coming back.

And last thing, he knows that Peter needs him. He’s the adult, and from all the adults the boy has seen since that morning, he has chosen Tony because he knows him. So for once, he takes the responsible choice and offers Peter a hand. He does it carefully, slowly so that the kid knows where his hand is every second. Once Peter knows what Tony wants, he is quick to pick up the back – that Tony discovers has another hole and one broken strap – and the penguin, and grips his hand. It feels so small against him that is ridiculous; it looks like Peter is hanging from his hand more than gripping it. 

“How do you feel about eating something and sleeping in my house?” Tony propose. “I promise I’ll let you eat anything you want and we can even watch a movie”

“We can watch a movie?!” the boy screams excitedly as they make their way to the lift. “That’s so cool! Thank you a lot Mister Iron Man Tony!”

“You can just call me Tony, buddy” he presses the elevator. “And you can start thinking about which one you want to see”

Peter nods and shifts closer to Tony, looking like he has been handled the biggest task of the world. Tony realizes that it is, probably, to a kid who is denied food when he cries and is locked in a closet when he’s upset. From what he has seen, Peter is most likely to burst into smiles and cute dimples than tantrums or angry words.

The ride to his floor is make in silent, only breaking when Tony suggest a movie to Peter and he shakes his head. He doesn’t know if the kid has seen them or not – it seems like he’s trying to come up with a certain movie that he can’t remember, so after the third try, he lets him have his silence. The man had originally thought of letting Peter hand once they were in the elevator, but Peter is still holding it and he doesn’t want to see his bambi eyes looking sad and miserable again. So he swallows the need of brushing them against his pants and having a bit of personal space. 

Tony’s floor lights up as soon as the elevator open, and the ‘woo’ that leaves Peter’s mouth has him smiling. For sure, it’s something worthy of ‘woo’. There is a really wide living room with a large sofa, a fireplace and a TV that covers the whole wall. The desk has a really expensive figure that Tony regrets having as soon as Peter makes eye contact with it. The floor is covered with a red carpet brough from India, and all the furniture is black and white.

Instead of running ahead and jumping from place to place, Peter surprises Tony by staying still. He lets the kid have a few minutes of admiring things before he moves to the front. Peter’s hand fall from his, but instantly latches to his pant leg.

“You can leave the backpack there, and you can look around without touching anything while I make something to eat” Tony tries, expecting once more Peter disappearing from his side.

“Can I stay with you Mister Tony?” Peter asks quietly.

“Uh, sure. Of course. I’m gonna – yeah, come with me” he walks, minding his speed so Peter’s short legs can keep his pace. “You like grilled cheese? Or burgers? I don’t have a lot of greenies here”

“I don’ know what that is”

Tony frowns, but that time isn’t as surprised as with the rest of his answers. He didn’t have those treats as a kid either, so he can guess Peter’s parents didn’t let him try the takeout food either. He just hopes that the kid stomach can take it and don’t go puking his guts out. Before calling to his usual take out place and order a few burgers, he asks the boy what he usually eats. The answer is probably the worst he has had yet.

“Mommy lets me eat the baby food. With carrots and that stuff” he explains, and Tony knows that three years old kid aren’t supposed to eat that. “And if I’m good, I can get an apple. Can I get an apple Mister Tony?”

Peter blinks at him from where he’s still gripping his pant leg, with the widest eyes he has ever seen. They held some kind of innocence that doesn’t match what the boy is telling him about his family. Tony remembers a younger self being mean to adults and being a brat because his father didn’t want him; and Peter is as polite as an adult. Just asking for an apple. 

“I think I’ve got a better idea” Tony smiles at him, trying not to show any pity or sadness. “You want to help me do something cool?”

He keeps his eyes on Peter’s while he drags a stool close to the kitchen counter, and with slow measured movements picks him up so that he can see what’s in the kitchen. That doesn’t mean he avoids the terrified whimper and the two tears that roll down his cheeks and that Peter tries to hide. Still, he doesn’t say anything as Tony picks him up. He relaxes once he’s sitting on the chair, and Tony has to be careful because in his wish of being the closest to the man, he almost falls over.

Just then Tony realizes that he’s not the type of person who can take care of a kid; less an abused one. He doesn’t know what he should give him, since he has only eaten mushes and apples. He doesn’t have an prepared seat for him so he stays put. And more important, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. But if there is something clear, is that Peter Benjamin Parker is staring at him with so much hope and innocence that it makes his legs weak, and he isn’t going to let him down. So Tony Stark winks at him and decides that he has to try at least.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony discovers more about Peter as he finally realizes what he has gotten himself into. Nothing is as easy as it seems, and JARVIS is about to let him know that this problems has just began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part is up! I'll try to post another one this week.

A consequence about not having much contact with kids and not liking the babysitting job Rhodey sometimes begs him to do, is that Tony has no idea how to deal with one. It’s obvious that Peter is tired, so tired that as Tony tries to make some grilled cheese he almost falls from the chair he’s quietly sitting one. His brown eyes keep drooping, every now and then he gives Tony the cutest yawn and his hands are most of the time rubbing his eyes. Tony wonders if the boy slept last night, or if he went to sleep without eating and woke up later crying. Apart from the need of feeding this kid, is also the realization of what he’s doing. 

He wouldn’t call it kidnapping, because the kid has gone to him willingly and he just wants to make sure Peter is safe. But the only thing he knows about the kid is that he likes penguins, he’s three and his parents neglect him in ways Tony possibly can’t imagine. He tries to leave that intrusive and worrying part for later, and focus on finishing soon. He makes sure the cheese isn’t too hot for the kid, and brush the black part out. Even if it hasn’t been more than a few minutes, he feels like it has been hours. 

“And, here it is” Tony nudges for the last time his tiny body, preventing him from falling again. Peter blinks confused, as if he doesn’t remember where he is. Then, shiny brown eyes notice the food and a wide grin appears on his face. “Hope you know how to appreciate a good meal, kid. Not a single burn”

“What’s that Mr Tony? It smells yummy!” 

“It’s called grilled cheese” Tony explains, leaning against the counter and watching him with a relaxed smile. “It’s hot, so be careful”

“I’ve never had gril’ ch’se before” Peter mumbles. 

Peter leans forward just a little, so he doesn’t fall over, and presses his open, wet hands on the counter. Tony has to catch himself before saying anything, because his parents already give him enough trouble for it. He has witnessed the boy put his thumb on his mouth three times, and each time Peter remembers what happens to him when he does so; so he looks at Tony and hides his hand behind his body, a hint of panic on his eyes. After the second one, the panic was more like fear and not terror.

One curious finger pokes at the food, and he gasps quietly when he notices it’s hot. He looks at Tony for reassurance, and the man nods. If it’s up to him, he’s willing to feed Peter a thousand grilled cheese, hamburgers and whatever food the kid wants to try. Peter pokes for a little longer the grilled cheese, fake gasping now when he touches it and looking at Tony right after, waiting for a reaction. And Tony smiles at him, letting him know that he’s not in trouble neither will be. 

He must have been pretty hungry, because despite of how much he’s enjoying the smiles from Tony and not getting scolded for doing something, Peter stops the game and takes the grilled cheese between his hands. It’s so big compared to what Tony is used to that for a second he regrets it. Then, Peter pinches the corner until it falls off, and puts it in his mouth. As soon as the cheese makes contact with his tongue, Tony can see how stars light up in Peter’s eyes. The man chuckles, but cuts it short when instead of chewing Peter swallows it.

_Like it’s baby food, you fucking idiot. He only eats baby food_

The small boy breaks into a fit of coughing that could have been a lot worse if the piece had been bigger. But after a small pats on the back and drinking water from a glass that Tony has to hold because it’s too big, the coughing stop and the redness around Peter’s cheek disappear. 

“You can’t swallow it, you have to chew it” Tony tries to use the softest tone he knows, but still Peter’s eyes go wide. Suddenly, he brings the grilled cheese close to his chest and backs away from Tony. 

“M’ sorry. M’ sorry, mister Tony. I-I’ll do good now. I promise – I won’ do it again” he blurts out, smashing the sandwich against his already dirty tee. “Please don’ take it away. Please, mister Tony. P-Please… I’ll be… I’ll…”

“I’m not taking your food away, bud” Tony quickly comforts him. He knows better than to try and pry it off. The penguins t-shirt is already stained, and he doesn’t want to upset him further. “I promise. I just want to teach you how to eat it, alright? Like… uh, you… move your mouth up and down. Like when you eat an apple. Like this”

He’s forced to swallow the guilt about making Peter think he was gonna take his sandwich away, and chews exaggeratedly. He leaves his mouth open; so when the kid copies him, it’s only natural that he does the same. Peter manages to keep all the food on his mouth, but shows it to Tony the whole time. Meanwhile, Tony wonders again how terrible a person has to be to deny food to their own kid. 

The man doesn’t know where the words that fall from his mouth come from. He’s the type of person who runs away from the conflicts and trauma from other people, and has a hard time comforting someone. But with Peter he can just find the right words to do so, and finds that he doesn’t mind watching how the grilled cheese gets chewed as long as there is no more terror on his voice.

Peter isn’t as happy as before, though. He isn’t looking at Tony terrified, but still glances at him every now and then. Now that he knows that his food his safe and that he doesn’t have to defend it, he lets the tears fall. Honestly, it’s a hard sight. The kid keeps eating in silence, gripping the sandwich with both hands and keeping it close to him, while big, fat tears run down his chubby cheeks. Tony tries to catch some of them, but after the second one he notices how Peter becomes stiff every time he touch him, so he decides to let them fall. There isn’t anything else in this world that can make Peter’s shirt more disgusting, and Tony knows that he can’t let him sleep like that. 

It's probably the most depressing meal Tony has ever had, and even if he had been dying for something to eat when he left the last meeting, now his stomach was full of knots. He couldn’t think of eating anything when Peter Benjamin Parker had spent three years of his life not knowing if he was allowed to eat.

-

Turns out, Peter hasn’t seen a single movie.

He knows that movie are put on the TV, and that there are characters that make funny voices. But when Tony asks him what he wants to see – in an attempt to delay the inevitable bed time a bit longer – he just shrugs. He explains how his mother watches TV after lunch and his father sometimes has the volume so loud that it hurts his ears. Tony discovers that it’s possible to break his heart even more just in one night. So after deciding he’ll be the one choosing, he asks FRIDAY to put on a movie with penguins in it. That’s how Happy Feet starts playing.

“That’s – that’s a penguin!” Peter points excitedly at the screen, while stretching his tee towards Tony. His brown eyes are so wide that the rest of his face becomes irrelevant. He glances at Tony, making sure he’s listening before pointing again to the TV. “Look, Mister Tony! That’s – that’s a penguin! Like the one on my bac’pac’!” 

“It is” Tony smiles. They are sitting on opposites seats of the couch, but Peter is slowly shifting closer.

The film turns out to be 50% of a good idea. Peter loves the penguins and talks Tony ear off when they sing, dance and talk, asking the most ridiculous questions like ‘are we penguins’ favourite animal’ and ‘do they go to daycare too’. He ends up shifting so close to Tony that the man has now a kid on his lap. Peter has moved Tony’s arm around his middle, and has started playing with Tony’s hem of the shirt – that he’s still wearing, much to his discomfort – and fingers. Not once he makes an attempt to bring his hand to his mouth, so Tony beings to think it’s not that Peter likes to do so, but does it as a comforting motion. 

Bad part of Happy Feet are the other animals. Tony can’t really tell the difference between kids’ movies, but he’s starting to think that’s not too appropriate. There is meaning looking seal that has Peter whimpering everytime it appears. Its teeth freak Tony a little too, and in general that character gives him bad vibes. So when something like that comes to the screen, Peter turns around and hides his face on Tony’s chest, close to the arc reactor. The first time it almost makes him have a heart attack. By the fourth time, he cradles Peter’s head closer. 

He doesn’t make it to the end of the movie, as expected. Peter’s eyes start dropping in the middle of it, his body going lax against Tony. The man likes the idea of him sleeping right there; because that means he doesn’t have to deal with tantrums when he puts him in the guest room. Couch? Do kids his age use beds? He just hopes the answer is yes, because his legs are starting to feel numb and he doesn’t contemplate the possibility of taking Peter to bed with him. Tony is sure the little boy is sleeping when his eyes open slowly, and he looks up to his face. 

Tony is struck with a wave of ‘oww’, because there isn’t any other way to describe it. His brown curls are falling over his forehead, his long eyelashes are creating shadows on his chubby cheeks, and his hand is gripping two of Tony’s large fingers. He presses his lips tight. 

“Hey buddy” he says in a soft, low voice, not knowing where it comes from. “Why don’t you go to sleep?”

“I really liked the food, Mister Tony. And the movie” Peter whispers back, although half of the words are missing some syllables. It makes the moment even cuter. 

“I’m glad you did, Peter. I liked having you too” Tony assures the body. He runs a sneaky hand through his locks, and the way Peter leans into it as if it’s the first affection touch he has had squeezes his heart and soul. “You’ve been a really good company. Ten out of ten.”

“Can I stay ‘ere?” he asks his eyes close again. “I like this better than home. But don’t tell daddy, cause he’ll get mad”

“I won’t, promise” Tony manages out.

It seems the right thing to say, because Peter nods and lose consciousness. His head rests directly above the arc reactor, making soft blue lights light up his face. One of his hand is still gripping Tony’s fingers, and the other one is laying on his leg. So tiny that it looks like it belongs to a doll, not a real kid. Lots of thoughts run past Tony’s mind while another song rolls by on the TV. 

There will a moment, probably when the sun rises, that Peter Benjamin Parker will have to face the truth. That his parents are trash, abusive assholes that can’t raise him, and that probably an old, grumpy lady will be his new family. If he’s lucky, he’ll get a loving family in a few months, Tony hopes. With a dog, maybe another kid. He thinks there are a lot of possibilities for it to happen. Peter is young, cute and a good boy. He can be any American parent’s dream, and any of them would be lucky to have him; Tony is sure. But before that happens, Peter will have to understand that his mommy and daddy are no longer with him, and will have to go to court. Of course, all of that if the parents show up to be unfit to take care of Peter.

Tony knows that he won’t let him go back to them. From just a few hours, he has make a special space on his heart for them, filled with hate and rage. He’ll fight to make the court see what he has seen with Peter. 

A nagging thought keeps prodding in; even if he knows Peter would be the perfect kid for adoption, he doesn’t think the trauma he has on his shoulders is too. Tony wants to think it’s not his problem. But as Peter snores peacefully on his chest, he knows that it isn’t true. He can’t just let him on his own or go back to not eating because he cried. He’s better than that; Iron Man is better than that, and Peter knows it too, cause he asked him for help. 

He lets himself relax as the movie keeps playing, now a group of smaller penguins dancing with the songs. Peter’s soft breaths, the heat running in the floor and the tiredness that he had acquired after the long day make him closes his eyes pretty quick. He’s almost sure he can fall asleep right there too when the voice of his AI wakes him up.

“Boss, the police has taken cared of Richard and Mary Parker” JARVIS voice makes Peter shift, but he doesn’t wake up. “There has been shooting, as the suspects were armed. Richard Parker has been shot and confirmed dead just now. Mary Parker is being taken care of in the hospital”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any suggestion, you can send them to me in Tumblr - imaginesmai - or leaving it in the comment! Thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is determinated to show Tony how adorable he can be, or so thinks the man. He has never seen a boy who can warm up to him so fast, and the kid is starting to grow on him too - even if it has been less than 24 hours. As much as it pains him, he has to leave Peter behind to make a quick trip to Ohio, and hopefully find some answers to his endless questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this will have more than four chapters. I'm currently thinking about six!

Something soft and small, tapping his cheeks too many times to be just accidentally brushing, wakes him up. Tony isn’t used to waking up before midday, sometimes missing lunch on the way, and by what he can tell from the tiredness of his body, it’s not midday. He bats a hand in an attempt to brush whatever is touching his cheek away, but is met with a bit of resistance. 

He tries a second time, then he’s received with a giggle. An adorable giggle that could only belong to a kid, a kid that he doesn’t have. So Tony Stark bolts out of bed, sitting straight and looking around for whatever has made that noise. Memories come flooding to his mind when he sees Peter on his knees a few inches away, looking wide awake and staring at him with bright eyes.

“Good mornin’, Mister Tony!” Peter exclaims, giving him a toothy smile. He jumps a little on his knees. 

“God” Tony groans, running a hand across his face in an attempt to wake up for a bit. “It’s too early. What are you doing up already? What time it is, Jar?”

“It’s eight in the morning, sir”

“I woke up a lot before” Peter answers too, not noticing the grammatical mistakes. “But you were sleepin’, and mommy says is rude to wake people when they’re sleepin’”

He doesn’t have the heart to ask the kid why his mother didn’t let him wake her up soon. He can almost imagine Peter staying up for hours until his mother made breakfast, but he stops the thought before it becomes real; one, because it’s too early and he needs coffee first, and two, because she’s dead. 

Last night had been hard for both of them. Tony had a mini panic attack when he learnt about the kid’s parent, and what that meant. As much as Peter seemed to be afraid of them and what they do, it’s not the same as learning that they’re dead. It only got worse when JARVIS explained briefly what had happened; the police had tried to stop them and they had kept running, until they were surrounding and pulled out their guns. Richard and Mary Parked shot when the police tried to stop them, meaning they didn’t want to see Peter ever again. That sweet boy who had woken up when Tony was struggling to breath, and had hug him, telling him that he got scared too. 

Peter hadn’t been awake for long, and as Tony hug him for dear life he had fallen asleep against his chest. The man had calmed down listening to his breathes and soft snores, and selfishly had decided to let him sleep on his bed. 

“You slept good?” Tony asks, feeling guilty about his behaviour last night. He’s glad the kid was too out of it to notice. 

“I really liked the fluffy bed, Mister Tony” Peter explains, pressing his tiny hand into the pillow. 

“Are you hungry?” Tony’s desperate to tear his eyes away from the brown, doe ones that look at him with admiration, so he busies himself in jumping out of bed. Peter shifts close to him too, and waits by his side and Tony slips on his shoes. “What do you, uh, have for breakfast?”

“Milk”

Tony doesn’t have any other excuses to delay the start of the day, because he isn’t wearing his pyjamas. Just before he crashed with Peter, he managed to change into comfortable sweatpants and some tee that was laying around. Without waking the boy up, he had changed him into one of his t-shirts, that falls on him like a tunic and almost his whole body fits through the head hole. But it is an adorable sight, that makes Tony’s heart go soft as Peter gets up on bed and smiles up at him. 

He can’t describe how glad he was when he discovered that Peter isn’t wearing a diaper, and knows how to go to the bathroom; so he leaves Peter to his business after helping him off the bed. It’s quite surprising that he doesn’t mind helping him to sit on the toilet, closing the lid for him and holding him while he cleans his hands. That little boy follows him like a baby duckling, staying close to him as he opens the windows and prepares something for breakfast.

Liking how everything went with dinner and not wanting a sick kid, he decides to give Peter cheerios and a bowl of milk, that turns out not to be the best choice when Peter’s tiny hand can’t really hold it. The floor gets soaked with milk, and Peter looks ready to burst into tears when some of it falls on Tony’s tee. But he manages to calm the kid enough and enjoy breakfast. 

“I’m gonna buy one thousan’ circles, Mister Tony” Peter nods to himself, throwing another cheerio to his mouth. All of his fingers have cereals stuck to them, and Peter’s face is so sticky that some of them have make their house on his forehead. “And penguins. I’m gonna fed my penguins with circles, and with the yummy thing you gave me last night”

Tony tries to hide the smile behind his coffee, but he can’t just ignore how Peter keeps calling cheerios ‘circles’ and eating with both hands. He looks like he hasn’t been fed in weeks, and the truth behind that joke makes him shift closer to the kid. 

“I don’t think penguins eat cheerios, bud” he chuckles, the nickname rolling off his tongue easily.

“What do penguins eat?” Peter looks at him with wide eyes, one last cheerio hanging from his bottom lip. 

“Uh” Tony blinks confused, because honestly he has not idea; but Peter is looking at him, and his eyes are shinning so bright that he feels like traveling to Alaska and grabbing a penguin for him. “JARVIS? What do penguins eat?”

“Penguins are carnivores; they only eat meat. Their diet includes krill, tiny crustaceans, squid and fish”

For a second, he thinks Peter might be traumatised for it, because he has no idea what kids work like and if discovering that some animals feeds from others is classified as normal information or too hardcore. He remembers a younger self bursting into tears when he discovered what eggs were, and where hamburgers came from. Tony holds his breath and Peter takes in the information, playing with the lose cheerio on his lip. He blinks those doe eyes at Tony and shrugs, going back to his bowl.

“Mommy and daddy wouldn’t let me have a penguin, anyway” he explains, picking up another fist of cereals. “But when I’m old I’m gonna buy one, and I’m gonna call him Tony. So I don’ forget ‘bout you when I go back”

“Yeah” Tony chuckles; he knows he will need to tell Peter that he’s not coming back to his parents, and this might be the best opportunity. “How do you feel about staying here today too? We can watch another movie, and maybe play some games. Do you like playing games?”

“I like Miss Jane toys, cause daddy says I’m not allowed to have them. They make his head hurt and his feet” Peter explains, talking with his mouth full. “If I stay here, can eat more circles?”

“You can eat as many circle as you want, Peter”

Breakfast rolls by before Tony notices, filled with conversations about which toy is the best and why the penguins of last night movie are the best. Tony discovers that Peter is incredibly smart for his age, as he shows him his name written on the table with cereals. Sure, the ‘R’ is backwards and he has to remind him that the ‘E’ have three sticks – but how many kids can write their own name at three? Not many, and when Tony praises Peter, he knows that Peter doesn’t know how special he is. The way his eyes light up with the praising and how he tries to write Tony’s name later lets him know that his parents didn’t care about the positive input neither. 

He ends up calling Jane, not wanting anyone else watching over the kid. Pepper is out for the week and Happy would probably have a heart attack if he presented him to Peter. But the woman seems happy to help, feeling guilty about leaving Peter alone for hours. As he hangs the phone and walks toward Peter, who is playing with some puzzle that he has picked up from the daycare, he realizes that he hasn’t reached the hardest part yet.

Peter, as always, seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to someone getting close, and before Tony can sit in the couch in front of the coffee table, the kid is already looking at him. He’s hovering over the table, the puzzle that had a 5+ label almost finished. Tony has changed clothes, choosing a more professional outfit to deal with the police; and social workers, because they will be there too. 

“You remembered how I told you that Miss Jane was coming?” Tony starts, not wanting to make it seem like he’s abandoning him too. Peter nods. “She’s gonna take care of you for a few hours, because I have some sh – stuff. Some stuff to take care of. Grown up stuff, so you can’t come. You good with staying with her?”

“Are you gonna find mommy and daddy?” Peter blinks, leaving the piece he’s holding on the table. Tony watches as his tiny fingers twitch and he tries to direct them to his mouth, before realizing what he’s doing and stopping. 

“Something like that, buddy” Tony gives him a soft smile. “I’ll be back before night time, okay?”

“I’ll be good, Mister Tony” Peter nods, then frowns. “Can you tell them that I’m bein’ good? I don’ wan’ them to get mad”

“Of course, don’t worry. You’ve been the best”

Tony reaches for his face with slow movements, and Peter leans in when Tony caress his cheek. He doesn’t know why he does it; it just seems the right thing to do. And the warm, fuzzy feeling he gets when Peter places his tiny hand on his knee and shifts closer to him makes him want to repeat it again and again. Tony can’t help to notice how tiny he is in general; he doesn’t know much about kids, but Peter’s face almost fits on his palm. The only thing that seeps through is the brown, soft curls that fill his head.

When Pepper told him that he could have his day free, he didn’t think that he could waste it. Not really ‘waste’, and he wouldn’t leave Peter on his own. But he expected a relaxing bath, maybe a call to one of that Melody girl that he has been seeing for a few weeks now – or maybe that isn’t her name, he’s not sure. But he’s about to fly to another state because of this tiny infant that is looking at him as if he could fix his world. And, at least, Tony has to try.

“Jane is bringing some clothes that fit, and I think she managed to find some kid’s stuff for the bathroom” he explains to Peter, his hand trapped between his cheek and shoulder. The boy blinks his long eyelashes to him, and smiles. “You can take a bath on your own?”

“Yes! I’m a big boy now” Peter nods quickly, although Tony thinks that’s a bit of a lie.

“Well, then it’s all settled” he gets up and tries to ignore the pitiful whine that leaves the boy at his feet; it makes a strange pressure appear on his chest, that makes him want to take Peter with him. “I’ll be home before you know it. If you want something, Jane will be here. And JARVIS can always call me”

“Okay, Mister Tony” Peter runs after him when Tony walks to the kitchen, his little legs making a big effort to follow him. “I’m gonna miss you. If you see any penguin, can you bring him to me?”

Tony chuckles and JARVIS announces that there is someone at the door. He ruffles Peter’s hair as the boy, once more, follows Tony closely. Before he can regret his decision, he says goodbye for the last time and close the door behind him as soon as Jane is in the living room. He doesn’t miss though the look of sadness across Peter’s face. 

He breaths relived when he hears Jane talking to him and Peter giggling, meaning the kid isn’t doing as bad as he could. So he straightens his suit jacket and presses the elevator to the garage – opting for using a suit to get there since it’ll be quicker and will make him come home sooner. Tony Stark smiles at the thought of the boy just before leaving, not knowing what awaits for him in Ohio.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finally places the missing piece of the puzzle of what had happened, and he discovers that he hates it more than what he thought. After a visit to the hospital where he gets the answers he needs, now it's time to walk into the next problem; and hopefully, the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so - I know this is shorter than the others chapters, but I hope you enjoy it! I didn't want to add much more cause I'm pretty uncomfortable with this kind of topics, even if I do enjoy writting about the comfort that comes with it.

Tony can’t wrap his head around the fact that he’s sitting in a shitty hospital in Ohio, with a cup of cheap coffee on his right hand and his phone on the other. The last 24 four hours have been hard, and the last five of them – in which he had travelled to Ohio and talked with the police – have been the worst of them, without any doubt. He blinks at the white floor, that is not so white anymore, as shoes walk by. Thankfully, no one have noticed him, or if they have they had been respectful enough not to say anything or ask for a picture. There are dark bags under his eyes, and he feels like he has aged ten years in the last two hours.

Mary Parker is alive, recovering in the room in front of his chair and handcuffed to the rails. 

There are two officers guarding the doors, and they haven’t said anything about how much time Tony is taking for that ‘just a sec’. He feels selfish, but part of him wants her to be dead. Because that way, he can make sure Peter ends up in a good family that loves him and takes care of the little boy, and if he pays them enough, maybe he gets to see him every now and then. Mary being alive means that there is a slim chance of her getting Peter back, after abandoning him and mistreating the poor kid. Tony think he’s gonna be sick.

“Uh, Mr Stark?” one of the officers finally breaks the silence, and Tony blinks his panic away – or tries to. “Doc is coming soon, and she’s gonna give her the pain meds… So if you want to talk with her, you should –“

“I’m coming” Tony gets up, ignoring how the empty white corridor seems to shift around him. “I just needed a second. I’m – tell her to wait. It’ll be just a few minutes”

The guards nod to each other, and the tallest one barely contains his curiosity anymore. When Tony first arrived to the hospital, Peter’s existence was all over the police department. He had made sure only the chief and two other people knew about Peter and the reason behind the detention of the Parkers, but one of them have shared it with the rest of the group. The two guards in front of the door had been talking about the kid when Tony arrived, and the man felt his stomach turn when the tallest one said the word orphan. 

He feels oddly protective of the boy, even if he barely knows nothing about him. He has had his own fair share of being on the spotlight to know that the media will catch on the story soon, and then Peter Parker will be known as the tiny boy who was left abandoned by his parents in the Stark Tower. Tony tries to keep the thoughts away as he finally opens the door of the hospital room, not knowing what to expect.

If he’s being honest, he doesn’t think Mary Parker will be beautiful. He thinks of her as some evil witch with rotten teeth and long nails; because that’s the only type of person who could abandon a kid. But Mary Parker is beautiful. From where she’s lying already looking at him, Tony can admire her long, curly brown hair that falls all over the pillow, deep chocolate eyes that reflects the light from the window, and full lips that would have caught his attention in any other situation. 

There are gashes, of course. An horrible looking bandage around her left shoulder that is stained with red, a purple bruise on her cheek bone that looks greenish, and even if her body is covered with a thin sheet, he can make out the other two bullets wounds.

“There were so many reasons why our plan could go wrong” Mary smiles at him. Tony gets the impression she knows too much about the situation, more even than himself. They don’t need introductions. “But I didn’t think you would come here. You, of all people, Stark”

“You left your kid in my tower. Your three year old kid, who can’t understand why his mother hasn’t come to pick him up yet” Tony blurts out. He’s too angry to care about having small talk. “Why wouldn’t I come?”

“Because you don’t care about lots of things, so we thought that, in case Peter managed to get your attention, you would send someone else” she watches him as Tony stops in front of the bed. “What was his name? The big guy, always wearing a suit and with a grumpy face”

“What – “

“You think it was a coincidence that we left Peter there?” there is a flick on her eyes, and Tony sees hate and rage towards him. “We had to leave him because of you. You’re as responsible for that kid’s pain as we are”

Tony frowns, remembering the words from the doctor. She had warned him that Mary Parker is an unstable woman, that had woken up during the bullets removal twice and had tried to scratch at the wounds so that she would die before the police came. Some of the nurses talked about her screams, and Tony sees what they were talking about as her smile disappears, becoming instead an ugly grimace that turns every inch of beauty he could have found in here away. 

“How am I responsible of your abuse? Media tends to paint me as an asshole, but I would never touch a hair of a kid’s hair” Tony is barely containing himself, flashes of Peter’s smile in front of his eyes. “What your husband and you did was terrible, and you’re gonna pay for it. I’ll make sure you won’t even look at Peter ever again”

“You can’t do that! He’s mine!” Mary trashes against the restrains, her behaviour so different from before that Tony takes a step back. “If you had hired me – if you had realized how much our weapons could help you, then Peter would have a perfect life!”

It’s not the first time Tony meets someone like Mary Parker, and sadly it won’t probably be the last; but surely, it’s the one that surprises him most. When Obadiah betrayed him and he decided to stop selling weapons, he had to fire a lot of people, and decline offers of another bunch. There isn’t a moment in his life where Tony regrets doing so, because now the thought of being participant in someone’s death sends chills down his back. He honest to god doesn’t remember the Parkers, because he left Happy to deal with those who wanted to talk to him about weapons – and that’s how she must know him. 

“I don’t even want him, anyway” she tries to bring back the smile, but now Tony knows there is nothing behind it. “Wets the bed, cries all the time, and is a big fan of you. Peter is just a disappointment, wait until you know him for –“

Tony doesn’t wait for her to finish the sentence, and turns his back on Mary. As the door closes behind him, he hears her screaming. It’s clear that there is good part about the situation; she doesn’t have any intention of fighting for Peter. Not only she tried to kill herself, ran away with his husband and didn’t ask for Peter, but now he knows what opinion she has on the little boy.

The bad part, though, is that there is another problem on the list. He can’t just let her get away with what she has done, and certainly his business in Ohio isn’t finished. As a message lights up his phone, he knows this will have to wait for a few more days, or weeks; he’s needed in other state, and it’s more important than dealing with someone as evil as Mary Parker

Jane Daycare [5:25]: Mr Stark, Peter is asking when will you be back, and he’s a bit sad about it. Should I let him watch TV? 

Jane Daycare [5:48]: Sorry to bother you, Mr Stark, but Peter is crying and won’t stop asking about you. I think he might be having an asthma attack? Is there an inhaler somewhere?

Jane Daycare [6:05]: Jarvis has said I should take him to the hospital, to prevent it getting worse. In case you arrive and we aren’t here. I'll keep you updated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any suggestion, you can send them to me in Tumblr - imaginesmai - or leaving it in the comment! Thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any suggestion, you can send them to me in Tumblr - imaginesmai - or leaving it in the comment! Thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated!


End file.
